The clan traces its lineage back to Rama, the mythical hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana and through him back to the sun god Surya himself. Which is why the Rathores also call themselves Suryavanshi or family of the sun.
From the story of the martial clan, the Rathores who ruled Marwar from Jodhpur till the merger of the Princely States with the Dominion of India in , one must travel further back in time to the year It was in that year, thousands of miles away in eastern India that the Muslim invader, Shahabuddin Mohammed Ghori, defeated the mighty Jaichand of Kanauj. It was Jaichand's great-grandson, Sheoji, who rode out to Marwar in , eager for fresh battlefields and glory all his own.
And it is Sheoji's descendants who proudly bear the name, Rathore. In the principal cities of Marwar were Mandore, today a fifteen minute drive from Jodhpur and Pali, an hour's drive south; and it was the latter, a rich commercial centre, that Sheoji first conquered. Over the decades the Rathores expanded steadily but it was only in , in the reign of their twelfth ruler, Rao Chunda, that they acquired - not conquered - Mandore.
Mandore is Marwar's most historic city. Today in ruins, it was the capital of many a great dynasty. In that year their Governor in Mandore, Aibak Khan, demanded fodder as well as the tax on grain, and this eventually proved to be his undoing. The Parihars, tired of this autocratic man, hatched a plan, which, in ingenuity matched the famous Trojan Horse, and in bravery far surpassed it.
Five hundred Parihars smuggled themselves into the fortified city in a hundred cart-loads of grass. These carts were checked randomly and prodded with spears. Some men were pierced but they uttered not a sound and, in fact, even managed to wipe the blood off the spears as they were withdrawn. Then the Parihars fell upon the Muslims. Within an hour Mandore was once again in their hands but the victors realised that defending her was going to be an entirely different problem.
It was then that someone suggested a marital alliance be arranged with the young Chunda. Thus did Mandore, the capital of Marwar, come to the Rathores in a dowry. As the unchallenged rulers of Mandore, Sheoji's descendants were firmly established as the most powerful clan in the region.
And it was left to Chunda's grandson, Rao Jodha, to secure a place for the Rathores in the annals of India by building one of her most spectacular forts and founding one of her most charming cities.
The foundation of this fort was laid on 12 May by Jodha himself on rocky Bhakurcheeria, only six miles away from Mandore. Perhaps with Cheeria Nathji's curse ringing in his ears, Jodha had a young man buried alive in it to ensure the new site proved propitious. This man was Rajiya Bambi who was promised that his family and descendants would be looked after by the Rathores. It is a promise that has been honoured and Rajiya's descendants, who still live in Raj Bagh, Rajiya's Garden; the estate bequeathed to their ancestor by Jodha, continue to enjoy a special relationship with the Maharaja.
Rao Jodha's citadel, on which he spent all of nine hundred thousand rupees, was very different from what his descendant, the present Maharaja of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh II, inherited four hundred and ninety three years later in That was beginning of history of Marwar. Rao Siha known as founder of Marwar state. According to inscription found at Bithu village near Pali, Rao Siha died in year Rao Asthan A. Rao Doohad A. Rao Jodha A. Rao Maldeo Rathore A.
Pratihara-ruled Kannauj was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in CE, which ushered in a chaotic period for that area. It is said that Sheoji, a surviving grandson of Jaichand, made his way into the western desert with a group of faithful followers, finally settling in the town of Pali in Marwar, which was ruled by another branch of the Pratiharas.
Sheoji is regarded as the patriarch of the entire Rathore clan and all Rathores and Rathods trace their patrilineage back to him. The tradition finds supports from a number of inscriptions found in the vicinity of Kannauj that mention several generations of a Rashtrakuta dynasty ruling there for two centuries. Jodhpur, former capital of Marwad state, retains much of its medieval character.
Beginning in , when the city was called Jodhagarh, the Rathor clan of Rajputs fought and ruled from the virtually impregnable fort until their territory covered some 35, sq. According to Rathor tradition, the clan traces its origins back to the Hindu god, Rama, hero of the epic Ramayana, and thence to the sun. So the Rathors belong to the Suryavansha solar race branch of the Kshatriyas, the warrior caste of Hindus. Later, breaking into historical reality, in A.
The fleeing ruler, Jai Chand, drowned in the Ganga. But his son or grandson, Siyaji, had better luck. An expedient marriage alliance between the Rathore Sihaji and the sister of a local prince enabled the Rathores to consolidate themselves in this region.
In fact, they prospered to such a degree that they managed to oust the Pratiharas of Mandore, nine km to the north of present day Jodhpur. He later set himself up as an independent ruler around the wealthy trading center of Pali, just south of Jodhpur. His descendants flourished, battled often, won often, and in Rao Chanda ousted the Parihars from Mandore which then became the Rathore seat of government. Rathore fortunes then turned. Rainmal may well have had his eyes on this fine, hilltop fort.
Though its structure was different to modern luxury buildings, from blackpool hotels in England to the Dubai Hilton, it was a work of glorious and luxurious architecture.
Rainmal knew of the location, and wanted it very much for himself. But court intrigue and treachery stopped him. In he was doped with opium, and finally shot dead. This triggered bitter feuds, ending with Mewar and Marwar becoming separate states. Rathor legend continues in various versions. Five years later he was acknowledged as ruler. A holy man sensibly advised him to move his capital to hilltop safety.
By , it became evident that a more secure headquarters was required. Several rulers of Jodhpur became trusted lieutenants of the Mughals, such as Raja Surender, who conquered Gujarat and much of the Deccan for Akbar, and Raja Gaj Singh, who put down the rebellion of the Mughal prince, Khurram, against his father, Jahangir.
With the support of the Mughals, the court of Jodhpur flourished and the kingdom became a great center of the arts and culture.
In the 17th century Jodhpur became a flourishing center of trade for the camel caravans moving from Central Asia to the parts of Gujarat and vice versa. In , however, Maharaja Jaswant Singh reigned backed the wrong prince in the great war of succession to the Mughal throne. He was in power for almost twenty-five years with Aurangzeb before he was sent out to the frontier as viceroy in Afghanistan.
Aurangzeb then tried to seize his infant son, but loyal retainers smuggled the little prince out of his clutches, hidden, they say, in a basket of sweets.
As a result,the Maharajas of Jodhpur finally regained the privilege of marrying Udaipur princesses something they had forfeited when they had allied themselves with the Mughals. A condition of these marriages, however, was that the sons born of the Udaipur princesses would be first in line to the Jodhpur throne.
This soon led to considerable. Nearly a century of turmoil followed, culminating in Jodhpur falling under the influence of, first, the Marathas, and then, in , the British. A son of Maharaja of Jodhpur, he himself ruled a neighboring kingdom called Idar, abdicated to become Regent of Jodhpur, which he ruled, in effect, for nearly fifty years. Outside of India it occurs in 92 countries. It is also found in Pakistan, where 5 percent reside and Saudi Arabia, where 3 percent reside.
In The United States Rathore are 8. The amount Rathore earn in different countries varies notably. In Norway they earn 7. By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties. Names Forenames. Login Remember me. Distribution Demographics Similar Transliteration. Rathore Surname 11, th. Approximately 46, people bear this surname Most prevalent in:.
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